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Notes:

Father Lucas is a controversial exorcist known for pushing the darkest edges of his spirituality in the service of God. When Michael is dispatched to visit Father Lucas in his small rectory on the outskirts of Rome, the exorcist is embroiled in an ongoing case of a pregnant teenage girl named Rosaria, whom Father Lucas has determined is afflicted with demonic possession.

Drama Horror Thriller - This is a religious-themed supernatural thriller aimed at adult
audiences and a showcase for star Anthony Hopkins. While violence is
fairly minimal, the film is much too intense and scary for children.

Berardinelli, Internet CriticFull ReviewAbove Average To the extent that The Rite aims to differentiate itself from The Exorcist, it does a passable job. The sense of atmosphere is as strong but the visceral horror elements are muted in favor of cerebral ones. There's good material in The Rite, but it requires more effort than it should to uncover it.

Roger EbertFull ReviewVery Good I admire "The Rite" because while it delivers what I suppose should be called horror, it is atmospheric, its cinematography is eerie and evocative, and the actors enrich it. It has given some thought to exorcism. Grant its assumptions, and it has something to say.

Note: The rating
above is our interpretation of what the critic would give this movie based on
their review. We are not affiliated with these critic's in any way.

OPINION OVERVIEWThe following is the original "What's Worth
Watching" write-up for this movie.

Moviegoer Opinions:

Based on a theater exit polling of 69 moviegoers:
TEENS:Close to half the males loved "The Rite." Unfortunately, a third rated it "Fair," which indicates a below average movie. Over three-quarters of the ladies enjoyed "The Rite" very much, with a lot of them loving it.
TWENTYSOMETHINGS:The male reviews are very close to great. Half of them loved it and another quarter enjoyed it very much. It didn't earn a great review because 25% only rated it as average. The females absolutely loved "The Rite." They all rated it very high.
ADULTS:Both the male and female reviews are very mixed. Fortunately, most enjoyed "The Rite," at least to some degree. Very few were really disappointed, but quite a few rated it as average, which is somewhat low.

A seminary student, Michael Kovak (Colin
O'Donoghue), is sent to study exorcism at the Vatican in spite of his own
doubts
about the controversial practice and even his own faith. Wearing his deep
skepticism like
armor, Michael challenges his superiors to look to psychiatry, rather than
demons, in
treating the possessed.

Only when he's sent to apprentice with the unorthodox Father Lucas (Anthony
Hopkins)—a legendary priest who has performed thousands of exorcisms—does
Michael's armor begin to fall. As he is drawn into a troubling case that seems
to
transcend even Father Lucas's skill, he begins to glimpse a phenomenon science
can't
explain or control…and an evil so violent and terrifying that it forces him to
question
everything he believes.